Lonely millennials, you are not alone!
A new survey found that over half of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 do not have a romantic partner.
In spite of the recent rise of dating apps, more young people than ever remain single, according to data released by the General Social Survey from researchers at the University of Chicago.
(MORE: Let's talk about sex: How to know you're in a healthy sexual relationship)Researchers determined that 51 percent of participants between the ages of 18 and 34 reported not having a steady partner in 2018, a record high for the survey, which has been collecting relationship data every year since 1986.
(MORE: So you're engaged, here's 5 must-haves before you say 'I do’)Bela Gandhi, founder and president of the Smart Dating Academy, says a few factors could be influencing these numbers. She says millennials might avoid rush into relationships at a young age to avoid mistakes that their divorced or dysfunctionally married parents may have made; they believe more in the soulmate concept than previous generations; and they may have been told to focus on their careers and getting their own lives in order first.
And then there are dating apps.
“They are waiting longer because of what I call the ‘fallacy of abundance,’” Gandhi says. “This is due to the predominance of online dating apps in their lives. They feel that because they have potentially millions of people to choose from that they can continue throwing even good ones back to the pond because the next best one is just a swipe away.”
The year 2018 also saw the highest number of 18 to 34-year-olds who reported having no children, and was the second lowest year (after 2012) for the number of people in this age group who reported being married and living with their spouse.
